Water was all around her.
It flooded over her, drowning her senses.
Arabella Vanderbilt's most fatal weakness was that she couldn't swim.
Yet now, she had fallen into the sea, with the salty taste of the ocean invading her lungs.
The sea in early spring was bone-chillingly cold, the terror of asphyxiation gradually enveloping her.
A crowd had now gathered on the deck of the steamship.
Most of the attendees at tonight's gathering were from wealthy families and prominent young masters.
A group of just over twenty people may not have been numerous, but their collective worth could hold up a small portion of Krent City's sky.
However, beyond that sky was the Russo Financial Corporation.
At that moment, the sea began to rise turbulently, and large raindrops started to fall, quickly becoming a downpour.
Two figures in the water were struggling desperately!
"Help..."
"Help..."
Their cries for help were barely audible in the heavy rain.
A tall and erect figure in black suddenly burst from the crowd.
When his gaze fell upon the two people desperately struggling in the water, his elegant and composed face was now coated with panic.
He hesitated not a moment longer, his suit not even shed, before he plunged into the icy sea.
The rain pounded the sea surface, blurring his vision, but after a great struggle, the man finally pulled one person to safety.
"Juliana, Juliana, wake up..."
Gasping for air, the man didn't care about his own disheveled state at the moment, calling out anxiously to the woman who had fainted in his arms.
Yet he hadn't thought of the other person still in the water...
At that moment, a woman's anxious voice suddenly rose from the crowd—
"Where's Arabella? Wasn't she called out by Juliana Vanderbilt? Where is she?!"
"Right! Arabella Vanderbilt... Arabella Vanderbilt also fell in!"
Someone cried out in panic, causing everyone on the deck to gasp!
Distant lightning flashed brilliantly, followed by the rumbling of thunder, as if it wanted to tear apart the night sky and the dark sea.
Everyone turned to look at the black sea, now whipped up by the waves, where not even a struggling figure could be seen.
The woman who had just announced that Arabella Vanderbilt fell into the water with Juliana Vanderbilt suddenly burst into tears!
"Arabella can't swim!!!"
At that moment, the man holding Juliana stiffened suddenly.
Yes, he indeed had seen Arabella.
However, just as the woman's wails ceased, a "splash" was heard, and another man had jumped in...
By the time Arabella was rescued, Juliana had already coughed up water and regained consciousness.
Her pale face was indistinguishable between rain and tears as she looked at the two men in front of her, weeping.
"Brother Oliver..."
After calling out with a cry, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her pale, palm-sized face deep into the chest of the man who was drenched but still strikingly handsome.
The man frowned slightly, his thoughts unreadable, but his hands eventually wrapped around the woman's waist and gently tightened.
"Don't be afraid, it's all right now."
His gentle voice carried a hint of obvious relief and the joy of a narrow escape.
Seeing this, the crowd on deck murmured sympathetically once more.
They all shifted their gaze to Arabella Vanderbilt, who had been rescued later.
After repeated heart resuscitation and mouth-to-mouth, she finally spat out two mouthfuls of seawater.
Her long lashes trembled, and with great effort, her eyes cracked open slightly.
Though her head was heavy and fuzzy, she could clearly see the two people embracing closely beside her.
She managed a faint tug at the corner of her lips, her face pelted by the rain, and then lost consciousness again.
-
Arabella Vanderbilt barely clung to life.
When she awoke, it was noon three days later, and there was no one else in the hospital room.
Bright light filtered through the window, her feeble but beautiful eyes fixating on the fine dust floating in the room, her expression indifferent, her thoughts a mystery.
In the end, she got out of bed by herself, dragging her powerless body to the restroom.
Then remembering the bright sunshine outside, she decided to take a walk.
Despite feeling extraordinarily weak, she just didn't want to stay in the cold, sterile hospital room.
The park behind the hospital.
Arabella only wore a light hospital gown, and though the sun was warm, she was still a bit cold.
She found a secluded spot to stand firm, gazing at the gardenia trees not far ahead, with buds ready to bloom.
With her hands around herself, she appeared frail, but there was an obstinate coldness about her.
She had a very beautiful face, it was just a pity that those gorgeous features rarely exhibited much emotion.
Still, this did not detract from her allure. Simply standing there, her pale skin, dark hair, and solitary coldness wove into an enchanting presence that was uniquely hers.
She inhaled deeply, her mood just brightening slightly when a person appeared in front of her.
Juliana Vanderbilt held a thermos emitting steam in her hands, her long wavy hair over her shoulders, a bright smile on her face, wearing a man's suit jacket.
Seeing Arabella's cold and beautiful face and the proud aura about her, which sent chills through her, ignited a bitter envy in Juliana's heart.
But spotting Arabella's thin and pale figure, Juliana suddenly smiled triumphantly, appearing to flaunt as she tightened the jacket on her shoulders.
Arabella looked at her coolly, "You truly are a persistent ghost!"
Juliana raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to Arabella with a leisurely pace, her smile brightening at the sight of Arabella's pale complexion and slender frame.
She bent down close to Arabella and whispered,
"Still won't give up? Sister, even the man you love most, now loves me..."